Turkish FM: Assad team has no place in future Syria

Turkey would not agree with any member of the Assad regime taking part in ruling Syria in the post-Assad era, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said. During his one-day official visit on Friday to the Jordanian capital of Amman, Davutoglu held a meeting with his Jordanian counterpart, Nasser Judeh, where the two discussed bilateral relations, the situation in Syria and the peace process in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Davutoglu and Judeh were reported to have agreed fully on the terms regarding the transitional government presumed to be set up in Syria according to a transition plan agreed in a meeting of world powers in Geneva last year. In a notable difference from the plan, Turkish and Jordanian foreign ministers agreed that no government official affiliated with the embattled Assad regime should be allowed to take part in a future governing body after the end of the on-going conflict in the country. "We will not go along with any member of the Assad regime becoming a part of the next era," Davutoglu said. "Because they have blood in their hands." Judeh said that in the 'Syria equation', the country that could make the most significant contribution to the establishment of a transitional government was Russia. -Turkey and Jordan 'in a unique position'- Both neighbors to Syria and among the most affected by the crisis there, Turkey and Jordan shared a unique position, the ministers allowed, pledging to remain in close contact and cooperation for the war-torn country.